FOR PARENTS, the challenges of raising a teenager can become overwhelming. During the adolescent years, everything is changing - physically, emotionally and socially - and sometimes teens wake up a different person everyday. How can parents cope with these changes and make the most out of these difficult years for both themselves and their teens?
TIME OUT FOR PARENTS, a KET production, taped summer 1997 in front of a live audience, has six one-hour programs focusing on the teenage years and the challenges that come with them.
THE SERIES offers advice and information from expert panelists who respond to the questions and experiences of studio audience members and share their own experiences as well. The panelists include experts in child development and education.
KURT WALKER, director, Kentucky Headstart - State Collaboration Office, moderates the programs.
Program 1. Characteristics of Teens: What to Expect
Program 2. Tough Topics : Communicating with Your Teen
Program 3. Living Up to Responsibility: Parents and Teens
Program 4. Parental Relationships: Single/Divorced/Step parents
Program 5. Peer and Cultural Influence
Program 6. Time Management in a Busy Family
Program One establishes the foundation for the series by explaining some of the different developmental stages that teenagers experience. During the teen years, a child forms his or her identity through physical, social, cognitive and emotional changes. The panelists discuss how adolescence affects teens and the family, how parents can cope with the rough times and how teens and parents can enjoy the periods of calm.
Panelists:
Dr. Norine Johnson, co-chair, Presidential Task Force on Adolescent Girls, Quincy, MA
Dr. Norine Johnson is a clinical
psychologist in independent practice where she specializes in adolescents and families. She is currently
involved in national affairs through her co-chairmanship of the American Psychological Association's
Presidential Task Force on Adolescent Girls.
Dr. Stephan Wilson, professor, University of Kentucky
Dr. Stephan Wilson is a professor
of adolescent topics at the University of Kentucky Research Center for Families and Children.
Myrtle Procter, psychotherapist, Lexington, Kentucky
Ms. Myrtle Procter is a counselor and psychotherapist with the Adolescent, Children, Family and Group
Counseling of Lexington, KY
Dr. Sheila Woods, adolescent pediatrician, Kentucky Clinic
Dr. Sheila Woods is a pediatrician specializing in the care of adolescents at the Kentucky Clinic, Lexington, KY
Program Two concentrates on the importance of keeping the lines of communication open and the importance of listening. Panelists discuss how to talk with teens about their choice of friends, sexual issues and the consequences of their actions.
Panelists:
H. Stephen Glenn, author and psychologist
H. Stephen Glenn is an internationally acclaimed
family psychologist and a consultant on training, education, alcoholism and drug abuse to agencies
throughout the United States. Steve is co-author of several books, including Raising Self-Reliant
Children in a Self-Indulgent World and Developing Capable Young People, as well as the author
of several outstanding training series, including Developing Capable Young People.
Peggy Morris, coordinator, Fayette County Health Department, Lexington, KY
Ms. Peggy Blythe Morris is the Coordinator of Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Sexuality Education programs
for the Fayette County Health Department. She has a teen peer education program with 50 kids. Peggy also
works with the Kentucky Coalition on Teen Pregnancy.
Dr. Richard Landon, therapist, Interfaith Samaritan Counseling, Lexington, KY
Dr. Richard (Rick) Landon is a marriage and family therapist and minister of spiritual direction at the
Interfaith Samaritan Counseling Center. Previously he was with Trinity Baptist Church in Lexington.
He has worked with adolescents in various capacities including residential treatment programs and family
counseling.
David Hanna, Ph.D., BlueGrass Regional Mental Health Board, Lexington, KY
Dr. David Hanna is Director of Child Guidance for the Bluegrass Regional Mental Health Board.
Everyone in a family has responsibilities. The parents have responsibilities to the children, including being a good role model. Teens need to accept responsibility for their behaviors and for their role in the family unit. Program Three focuses on issues such as working parents, after-school jobs and activities and financial responsibility. Should chores and allowances be tied together? Panelists also discuss the responsibilities and stresses involved in caring for younger siblings.
Panelists:
James Fitzpatrick, presenter, Developing Responsible Behavior in Schools
As a high school principal, Jim Fitzpatrick
used Dr. William Glasser's management techniques to eliminate the need for punitive practices and school
suspensions and to reduce the drop out rate to below one percent. In recent years, Jim has shared these
successful practices with K-12 schools throughout the country.
Lynn Doyne, director, Parents Place, Lexington KY
Lynne Doyne has been directing parenting groups and working as a counselor for the past 18 years. Her
specialties include school age child behaviors, marriage counseling, and individual life issues.
Rev. Willis Polk, Antioch Baptist Church, Lexington, KY
Reverend Willis Polk has worked with teenagers for many years. He was co-organizer of a retreat for
young black men, which was designed to keep them from falling prey to drugs, violence, and underachievement.
He is also involved with the "Partner for Youth" program which creates community based programs
to keep young people busy during the summer.
Gary L. Hansen, professor, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Gary Hansen is a family sociologist with the University of
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Gary is a specialist in Marriage and Family and Social Psychology.
He has authored Extension publications on such topics as family communication, family stress, parenting,
teen sexuality, aging, and grief and his research has appeared in a variety of professional journals.
Program Four focuses on the different parenting styles in today's families. Panelists discuss the stresses of divorce and blended and single-parent families, as well as how parenting a teenager can affect the husband/wife relationship. Also discussed are the effects of different custody relationships and the relationships between teens and stepparents.
Panelists:
Dr. Sam Quick, human development specialist, University of Kentucky
Dr. Sam Quick is a human development
specialist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. He has developed a number of
award-winning, nationally recognized educational programs. Among Dr. Quick's areas of expertise are
families-in-transition, self-esteem, peacemaking, and the power of belief systems, attitudes and thought.
He has authored an array of self-help leaflets for the general public.
Dr. Donna Quick, associate professor, University of Kentucky Family Studies
Donna Quick is a national leader
in the area of step-parenting research and intervention. Dr. Quick has developed a wide range of family
life extension publications that are used nationwide. Her research interest lies in the impact of divorce
and remarriage on children and with the stepmother/stepchild relationships.
Ellen Burke, marriage and family therapist, Center for Family Development, Richmond KY
Ellen Burke is a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in Richmond, KY. She is a part-time
instructor at Berea College and University of Kentucky. Even though Ellen does not look that old, she
has worked with families in varying capacities for the last 23 years.
Bonnie Winters, M.Ed., LPC, Cold Spring Counseling Center, Cold Spring, KY
Bonnie Winters is a licensed counselor in private practice. She is a consultant to local schools and
agencies and several international businesses such as Levi Strauss. Ms. Winters teaches at Northern
Kentucky University.
During the teenage years, the influence of peers can often become stronger than parental influence. How can parents prepare teens to make wise decisions when peer pressure occurs, and how can families avoid conflict over outside influences? In Program Five, panelists discuss the positive and negative aspects of peer pressure, as well as the effects of the media, advertising and popular music on today's teens.
Panelists:
Dr. Victor Strasburger, M.D., associate professor, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine
Dr. Vic Strasburger is Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of New Mexico School
of Medicine and an expert on adolescent medicine and the effects of media on young people. He is the
author of several books on raising teenagers and on the effects of TV on children and adolescents,
including Adolescents and the Media and Getting Your Kids to Say No in the 1990s When You
Said Yes in the 1960s.
Dr. Susan Bordo, Singletary Chair of Humanities, University of Kentucky
Dr. Susan Bordo is Professor of
Philosophy and Otis A. Singletary Chair of Humanities at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Bordo's area
of specialization is culture, gender, and the body. Her work focuses on cultural attitudes towards fat,
eating disorders, and fantasies of re-fashioning the body. Her books include: Unbearable Weight,
Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body and The Twilight Zone: Cultural Images from Plato to O.J.
Bill Mallory, county extension agent, Fayette County, Lexington, KY
Bill Mallory has been a County Extension Agent for 4-H / Youth Development in Fayette County for 27 years.
He has worked with many programs related to early childhood and adolescent development, including working
with the Fayette County Juvenile Court System on the topic of peer pressure. Bill also spent time in
Zimbabwe, Africa, working with youth-serving agencies and visiting rural areas of Zimbabwe to meet and
work with adults and youth.
Sandy Hough, psychologist, The Woodland Group, Lexington, KY
Dr. Sandy Hough is a licensed psychologist in private practice serving children, teens, adults, couples,
and families.
Program Six focuses on the numerous demands on a family's time. Soccer games, piano lessons, social events, school meetings, work duties - too many things to do and not enough time to do them. What are the consequences of a hectic schedule on the family? Panelists offer advice on using time management to organize the family and finding some quality time to be together.
Panelists:
Dr. David Elkind, author, child development expert
Dr. David Elkind is currently
Professor of Child Development at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Perhaps Professor Elkind
is best known for his most recent books, The Hurried Child, Parenting Your Teenager, and
All Grown Up and No Place to Go. Professor Elkind co-hosted the Lifetime Television series,
Kids These Days.
Live Wire Media has information on videos he has produced.
Linda Robinson, program consultant, Division of Student Family Support Services, KY Department of
Education, Frankfort, KY
Ms. Linda Robinson works with Kentucky's Family Resource Youth Service Centers as the liaison between
KDE and Cabinet of Families and Children. Linda is also a very busy person who coordinates the statewide
dropout prevention program and is the mother of a blended family of seven children!
Charlos Thompson, coordinator, Family Resource /Youth Service Center, Moore High School and Smyrna
Elementary, Louisville, KY
Mr. Charlos Thompson has been working with teenagers for seven years dealing with a variety of social
and mental issues with direct contact with parents. He puts together workshops help parents develop
their children's social aspects, including topics such as behavior, legal and economic issues, and motivation.
Elise Wallace, family life educator, Parents' Place, Lexington, KY
Ms. Elise Wallace has been a Family Life Educator for eight years at Parents' Place. She has led numerous
education and support groups for parents and children as well as give lectures on positive discipline,
communicating effectively and raising responsible children. Her emphasis is on helping parents and youth
to build on strengths and learn better ways to cooperate.
Time Out for Parents, is a KET production, produced by Vince Spoelker and Chela Kaplan (ckaplan@ket.org). The executive producer is Liz Hobson. The series is closed-captioned for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
